2013 recipients of the Sam Brown Bridge Builder award announced

Jennifer KilgoJennifer Kilgo, Ed.D., professor of Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education, and Cynthia Ryan, Ph.D., associate professor of English, are the recipients of the 2013 Sam Brown Bridge Builder Award.

This annual award honors individuals who engage in interdisciplinary, collaborative efforts across campus in ways that embody the vision, character and bridge-building talents vital to the future of UAB.

Kilgo’s career has been dedicated to serving children with special needs. She has brought together investigators from across UAB to explore better ways to meet special education needs through projects like the recently funded Transdisciplinary Evidence-based Preparation of Early Childhood Intervention Teams study. Kilgo also works with community groups like local school districts, Head Start of Jefferson County and the Alabama Pediatric Competency Task Force.

Cynthia RyanRyan is an educator and creative writer who has used her talents, skills and passion to build bridges across UAB and the community. Ryan’s work has focused on creating collaborations on campus that can address profoundly important issues such as poverty, access to care and cancer survivorship – interests that have taken Ryan not only to urban Birmingham, but also rural India and Nepal. Ryan advocates for homeless cancer survivors through Street Smarts, a breast cancer education program for homeless women in Birmingham.

UAB’s meteoric rise in a few decades is attributed to its identity as a collaborative academic research institution, and those who work with Ryan Outman say he is “the essence of this UAB spirit” and more than worthy of being UAB's Employee of the Month.

Tammy Than, O.D., professor of optometry, was recently named the American Optometric Association's Educator of the Year. She will be recognized at the 2015 meeting June 24. It speaks volumes that she has won the American Optometric Student Association Teaching Award six times.

James McClintock, Ph.D., endowed professor of polar and marine biology, received the Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award for using his lifetime of work in Antarctica to educate students and the public about the value and excitement of pursuing science on the remote continent.